Liquid collection and transfer operations are common to many industries. Typically large collection vats are used, often more than 100 cubic feet in volume. For transportation, vats are commonly mounted on tracks which, in turn, are typically mounted on an elevated platform. During filling of a vat, in order to prevent costly spillage, it is essential to keep the vat stationary. Due to the heavy weights involved, and the tendency of the liquids to rock back and forth, an efficient, reliable system for immobilizing a vat is essential.
Various systems for locking wheels exist in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 1,726,724 discloses a means for releasably locking wheels of a vehicle in a stall having a pivotably-mounted rocking member adapted for remote actuation. In a raised position the rocking member prevents a rear wheel of a vehicle from rolling. In a lowered position the rocking member releases the wheel, allowing the wheel to roll over it. U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,846 relates to a locking device for wheels of an automobile. This patent discloses a pair of blocks shaped as chocks joined together by a tie bar to fit under the forward and rearward portions of a vehicle wheel.
Another type of wheel lock involves inserting a stationary pin into a mating aperture of a wheel to prevent rotation of the wheel (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,103).
As can be seen from the above, while a number of wheellocking systems have been developed, the prior art has not provided an efficient system for locking vat wheels in a track.